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Explaining Adherence to American Academy of Pediatrics Screen Time Recommendations With Caregiver Awareness and
Shea M Lammers1, Rebecca J Woods2, Sean E Brotherson3
1Research Institute, Children's Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
Insights
Maternal awareness of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) screen time guidelines is low, yet higher awareness correlates with less infant screen time. Dispelling myths about educational benefits is key to improving adherence.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Child Development
- Media Psychology
Background:
- Excessive digital media exposure in infants is linked to developmental delays.
- Understanding caregiver behavior regarding infant screen time is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess maternal awareness and adherence to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) screen time recommendations for infants.
- To identify motivational factors influencing infant screen time exposure.
Main Methods:
- Mixed methods survey of 178 mothers of infants under 2 years.
- Collected data on infant screen time, maternal guideline awareness, and motivations.
- Statistical analysis explored associations between awareness, adherence, motivations, and screen time duration.
Main Results:
- 62.2% of mothers were aware of AAP guidelines, but only 46.1% could accurately cite them.
- Awareness and adherence to AAP guidelines significantly correlated with reduced infant screen time.
- Perceived educational benefits were the primary motivation for non-adherence; relaxation was significant for less educated mothers.
Conclusions:
- Increasing awareness of AAP screen time recommendations is vital for improving adherence.
- Addressing the misconception that screen time offers educational benefits for infants is necessary.
- Targeted interventions can help parents align practices with developmental recommendations.
Background:
With the increasing integration of technology into society, it is advisable that researchers explore the effects of repeated digital media exposure on our most vulnerable population-infants. Excessive screen time during infancy has been linked to delays in language, literacy, and self-regulation.
Objective:
This study explores the awareness of and adherence to the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) recommendations related to avoiding screen time for infants younger than 2 years and the motivational factors associated with screen time exposure.
Methods:
A mixed methods survey design was used to gather responses from 178 mothers of infants younger than 2 years. The measures included infant screen time use and duration, maternal awareness of screen time use recommendations, and motivations related to screen time exposure. A variety of statistical procedures were used to explore associations between caregiver awareness of and adherence to AAP guidelines for screen time exposure, motivations related to screen time for infants, and the duration of infant screen time exposure.
Results:
The results indicated that 62.2% (111/178) of mothers were aware of the AAP screen time recommendations, but only 46.1% (82/178) could cite them accurately, and most mothers learned of them via the internet or from a medical professional. Mothers who were aware of the guidelines allowed significantly less screen time for infants than those who were unaware (P=.03). In addition, parents who adhered to the AAP guidelines reported significantly less infant screen time per day than those who did not adhere (P<.001). Among mothers who reported not adhering to the guidelines, the greatest motivation for allowing screen time was perceived educational benefits. Less educated mothers rated an infant's relaxation as a motivational factor in allowing screen time significantly higher than more highly educated mothers (P=.048). The regression analysis indicated that none of the parental motivation factors predicted daily infant screen time.
Conclusions:
These results indicate 2 key approaches to improving adherence to screen time recommendations. First, the awareness of the AAP recommendations needs to be increased, which tends to improve adherence. Second, the myth that screen time can be educational for infants needs to be dispelled.
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